Karla brings us this week’s IQ challenge.
The preamble:
“A quote and its source are given in clue order by corrections to misprints in the wordplay of 37 clues (28 and 9 respectively). Solvers must replace all but two letters of an entry in the completed grid to give the quote’s conclusion, leaving real names or words. All other clues have an extra word that suggest a set: their answers have a common thematic letter. The first letters of these clues indicate how the common letters should be connected to give a shape.”
As usual, the preamble means nothing on first reading, so we adopt our normal IQ strategy of diving in and attempting to solve a few clues, being mindful of potential misprints or extra words. Out first one in was 3d, rapidly followed by 24ac, 21ac, and 16d, all of which have misprints in the wordplay. We then solved 20d (KOBS), which has an extra word. As we worked through the grid, our next clue with an extra word was 7d (OKAPI), followed by 22d (MUSAK) – this confirmed that the ‘common thematic letter’ is K – but we still had no idea about the theme.
As we continued filling the grid, we came up with a seemingly random set of extra words, which definitely did not ‘suggest a set’. We eventually managed to fill the grid and appreciated that the Ks form a symmetrical pattern:
The corrected misprints revealed: AS YOU WILL NO DOUBT HAVE FORESEEN….MACKENZIE.
With some electronic assistance we established that the quote is from KELVIN (K) Mackenzie, infamous former editor of The Sun (hence ‘Solar’, the title of the puzzle), when he sacked ASTROLOGER (41ac) Justin Toper in the 1980s. It was then apparent that we have to replace ASTROLOGER with YOU’RE FIRED to complete the quote, leaving real names or words in the crossing down entries.
We were still puzzled by the seemingly random selection of extra words, and it was only when we reread the preamble that we registered that it is the first letters of the clues with extra words that tell us how to connect the Ks – these read: TODAY’S SYMBOL. At first sight this looked as though it should be a heart, but we could find no connection to the Sun, Mackenzie or astrology.
We do not read horoscopes and are only vaguely aware of the strange world of astrology, but we realised that the extra words and the shape to be created by joining the Ks must have some connection with the subject. A little more research revealed that 5th April (the date of the IQ) is in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, with a symbol that is a stylised ram’s head. So this is the final grid:
Finally, after much racking of brains, we realised that the ‘set’ that the 12 twelve extra words ‘suggest’ comprises the signs of the zodiac:
HERMIT (12ac): Crab: Cancer
BOVINE (14ac): Bull: Taurus
BOWMAN (15ac): Archer: Sagittarius
DOUBLES (23ac): Twins: Gemini
BALANCE (35ac): Scales: Libra
FIRST (2d): Virgin: Virgo
CANTEEN (4d): Water carrier: Aquarius
HERO (5d): Lion: Leo
SHEEP (7d): Ram: Aries
ARACHNID (9d): Scorpion: Scorpio
KID (20d): Goat: Capricorn
BASS (22d): Fish: Pisces
In the parsing below, corrected misprints in 37 clues are listed in the second column, with the misprinted letter struck through in the clue. Additional words in the 12 other clues are (in brackets) and the first letter of the clue is listed in the third column. Definitions are underlined.
| ACROSS | ||||
| No. | Entry | Misprint | 1st letter | |
| 1 | BRITON | A |
Native King in p
|
|
| R (king) in BIT (part) ON (working) | ||||
| 6 | TOPPLE | S |
Fall be
|
|
| TOP (best) PL (first and last letters or ‘edges’ of pedestal) E (base – in mathematics) | ||||
| 11 | LENO | Y |
Spong
|
|
| An anagram (‘spongy‘) of NOEL | ||||
| 12 | FOR KEEPS | T |
Tool for digging earth (hermit) records with serious intent (8, 2 words)
|
|
| FORK (tool for digging) E (earth) EPS (records) | ||||
| 14 | FREE MARKET | O |
Oddly (bovine) term faker put about English capital system (10, 2 words)
|
|
| An anagram (‘oddly’) of TERM FAKER round or ‘put about’ E (English) | ||||
| 15 | PEP TALK | D |
Diarist (Bowman) (40% cut) follows endless rousing discourse (7, 2 words)
|
|
| PEP |
||||
| 21 | NIMBI | O |
New mini circling b
|
|
| An anagram (‘new’) of MINI round or ‘circling’ B (born) | ||||
| 23 | KEIR | A |
Addressee of No.10 (doubles) VAT (4)
|
|
| Double definition | ||||
| 24 | ENTOMB | U |
P
|
|
| TOM (‘puss’ – cat) in or ‘stopping’ BEN with the first letter moved to the back or ‘cycling’ | ||||
| 25 | ULYSSES | W |
Novel ne
|
|
| An anagram (‘new‘) of SUE’S and L, S and Y (last letters of girl, casts & skilfully) | ||||
| 28 | EDIBLE | I |
Safe to put away section of hotel b
|
|
| Hidden (‘section of’) and reversed (‘in recession’) in hotEL BID Early | ||||
| 29 | IN TOTO | L |
Enthusiastic about public school that’s shel
|
|
| INTO (enthusiastic) round |
||||
| 30 | TESSERA | L |
Piece of mosaic in
|
|
| A reversal (‘recalled’) of SET (lay) + S (saint) ERA (time) | ||||
| 32 | QUAICH | N |
Fla
|
|
| QUICH |
||||
| 34 | CENT | O |
Lyceum’s c
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| CE (middle letters or ‘core’ of Lyceum) + NT (New Testament – ‘books’) | ||||
| 35 | OAKUM | Y |
You (balance) him finally on tree ropes that are untwisted (5)
|
|
| U M (last or ‘final’ letters of you & him) after or ‘on’ OAK (tree) | ||||
| 37 | DEHORNS | D |
Prunes from French husband prior to gol
|
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| DE (‘from’ in French) H (husband) OR (gold) N S (north & south ‘poles’) | ||||
| 41 | ASTROLOGER | O |
Large ro
|
|
| An anagram (‘excited’) of LARGE ROOST | ||||
| 42 | DATELESS | U |
Old Penny and P
|
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| D (old penny) ATE (put away) LESS (not as much) | ||||
| 43 | EELS | B |
|
|
| A reversal (‘back’) of SLEE |
||||
| 44 | ETYPIC | T |
Heartless
|
|
| T |
||||
| 45 | HASLET | H |
Cooked entrails left amid rotten
|
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| L (left) in an anagram (‘rotten’) of HEATS | ||||
| DOWN | ||||
| No. | Entry | Misprint | 1st letter | |
| 1 | BLIP | A |
Minor setback when dirigible is abandoned by M
|
|
| BLI |
||||
| 2 | INKPOT | S |
Scribe’s (first) bottle Rose denied opening with dope (6)
|
|
| 3 | TOFT | V |
Fellow de
|
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| F (fellow) in or ‘devoured by’ TOT (child) | ||||
| 4 | OKRA | S |
Sanction (canteen) with hulled Arab pods (4)
|
|
| OK (sanction) |
||||
| 5 | DOEK | Y |
Yokel oddly missed (hero) wearing dark African headcloth (4)
|
|
| 7 | OKAPI | M |
Mistook a (sheep) pilferer guarding striped animal (5)
|
|
| Hidden (‘guarded by’) in mistoOK A PIlferer | ||||
| 8 | PERT | E |
Saucy tenor goes below for
|
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| T (tenor) after PER (for each) | ||||
| 9 | PEKOES | B |
Black (arachnid) drinks half of kola in goes (6)
|
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| KO (half of kola) in PEES (goes) | ||||
| 10 | ESTER | F |
Compound trees
|
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| An anagram (‘flustered’) of TREES | ||||
| 13 | REINDEER | O |
Drops heard on grass s
|
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| A homophone (‘heard’) of RAIN (drops) + a reversal (‘soaring’) of REED (grass) | ||||
| 16 | LIBERAL | R |
Free artist occupying slu
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| RA (artist) in or ‘occupying’ LIBEL (slur) | ||||
| 17 | OBLIQUE | E |
Objection over tal
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| OB (objection) LIE (tale) round or ‘interrupted by’ QU (question) | ||||
| 18 | VIETCONG | S |
Guerrilla and NCO get high after
|
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| An anagram (‘high’) of NCO GET after VI (six) | ||||
| 19 | MEET | E |
Come face to face with Fl
|
|
| A homophone (‘in auditorium’) of MEAT (flesh) | ||||
| 20 | KOBS | O |
Ohio (kid) with barrel among Kansas waterbucks (4)
|
|
| O (Ohio) B (barrel) in KS (Kansas) | ||||
| 22 | MUZAK | L |
Leaders of musos using zithers add (bass) key for background noise (5)
|
|
| First letters or ‘leaders’ of Musos Using Zithers Add Key | ||||
| 26 | STAB | E |
Attempt from ston
|
|
| ST (stone) AB (sailor) | ||||
| 27 | SOHO | N |
Fifth
|
|
| SO (fifth note on the sol-fa scale) HO (house) | ||||
| 31 | SNOTTY | M |
|
|
| A reversal (‘revolutionary’) of TONS (many) + T Y (first and last letters or ‘extremes’ of touchy) | ||||
| 33 | ISRAEL | A |
Jacob later repaired
|
|
| An anagram (‘repaired’) of ARIELS | ||||
| 34 | CLADE | C |
|
|
| CLAD (covered) E (key) | ||||
| 35 | OBOLI | K |
Na
|
|
| 36 | PREP | E |
School lif
|
|
| PEP (life) round or ‘carrying’ R (last letter or ‘end bit’ of projector) | ||||
| 37 | DOSH | N |
Money bo
|
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| OS (bone) in or ‘consumed by’ D |
||||
| 38 | HERA | Z |
Rhea cra
|
|
| An anagram (‘crazed’) of RHEA | ||||
| 39 | ORES | I |
Engineers within well t
|
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| RE (Royal Engineers) in a reversal (‘tipped’) of SO (well) | ||||
| 40 | SIST | E |
Stop Scottish bigot giving away
|
|
| S |
Excellent fun and a very nice payoff (I’d been thinking of Compton or maybe Barry Mackenzie). All thanks to Karla and Bertandjoyce. I guessed the zodiacal link from my first three surplus words, BALANCE, BASS and SHEEP, and assumed the title referred only to these “sun signs”, so actually finding myself in the pages of The Sun was a surprise.
I loved this one for the way that everything slotted together around the theme, with initial bafflement emerging into triumphant enlightenment. All beautifully put together, with an extra chuckle for being reminded of the Kelvin Mackenzie quote (the internet suggests he had been told the astrologer was recycling his ‘predictions’ every 3 months, and felt miffed). But I did not notice how the puzzle title pointed us towards The Sun, so thanks to Bertandjoyce for that, and to Karla for a really enjoyable solve.
I agree with @1 and @2; a top drawer Inquisitor. Though I forgot to complete the quote, failed to identify what the set was, and therefore couldn’t identify what ‘today’s symbol’ might be (I went for a parasol). Thanks to Karla and Bertandjoyce.
A very satisfying puzzle, thanks to Karla for the challenge and to Bertandjoyce for the elegant explanation. Nice that the connecting letter was ‘K’, which is the abbreviation for Kelvin, not just a former Sun editor but of course a unit of temperature. For once I managed to solve the whole bundle, a very rare 10/10.
Like others I was racking my brains to remember any famous Mackenzie’s once that started to emerge. Shame the theme didn’t centre around New Zealand weightlifters. Enjoyable nonetheless, and thankfully no telepathy required….
What an excellent Inquisitor, full of ingenious thematic content. Many thanks to Karla and to Bertandjoyce.
Very enjoyable, thanks Karla! I found the theme to be really well hidden, having pretty much a full grid before I finally cracked what was going on and then a very amusing PDM.
Thanks to Jon @4 for pointing out the relevance of ‘K’.
A model Inquisitor with excellent clues, an impressive thematic design and an entertaining theme. I didn’t find the correct shape to be drawn through the ‘K’s in the grid, but I got everything else. The name Kelvin MacKenzie was familiar to me in connection with The Sun, but I didn’t know about that dismissive put-down of the astrologer in his paper until I looked it up for this puzzle.
Many thanks to Karla and Bertandjoyce.
Really good puzzle – definitely a contender for points at the end of the season. I was left with the question “Why K?”, adequately answered by Jon MacToon @4 – thanks.
Also still scratching my head over what we’re being alerted to by “(28 and 9 respectively)” in the preamble. Any ideas? Apart from that, thanks to blogger(s) and setter – keep up the good work.
HG @9
The quote has 28 letters and is followed by the 9 letters of the source (MACKENZIE).
Sadly, I didn’t do this puzzle.
Not that I shared his views in any way but I used to enjoy seeing MacKenzie in the headlines – especially K MacKenzie.
Loved this – fun to solve and the unfolding endgame put a smile on my face. Bravo.